


Zero

by purplethal



Category: Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Not Beta Read, One-Sided Relationship, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 19:31:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11974182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplethal/pseuds/purplethal
Summary: Number rules the world, and Shihyun only tries to survive.





	Zero

In a world where people's biggest desire is to have the number one hundred written in their wrist, Shihyun is the odd one who couldn't care less.

People dream to be a hundred, it's still unheard of but someone _knows_ someone whose friend is a hundred and you can't even imagine how good their life is. They said, if you're a hundred you can get everything ones who get luxury with the snap of their fingers. In a world where money doesn't matter, the only currency is the number of love you have.

Shihyun had always been a seventy something through his childhood. Sometimes he got himself into a trouble and his number dropped few points, but the next day it would be back to seventy. He was blessed with a patient father and a caring mother. He still is. He will be long dead if it’s not for his parents.

As a child, Shihyun used to dream like others. To have a perfect one hundred next to the symbol of heart on your wrist. To experience how it is to be perfect at everything. To prove whether the claim you become super human true or not.

Now though? To be completely honest, Shihyun is tired of those numbers and all the judgment that follows them, so he wears long shirt despite how easily he sweats. If it's too hot he wears the special bracelet made to hide number. Nowadays with so many talks to stop discriminate by number and to ignore it altogether, so many bracelet types and designs are available to choose from. Or he can simply borrow one of Yongguk's huge collection.

 

Today Shihyun starts his day with a sixty-two, not bad, but he needs to try hard raising the number if he wants to go to the amusement park the day after tomorrow. It has a minimum seventy entry. Maybe he'll flirt with the handsome waiter on the coffee shop near his place, the man always manages to make his number raises at least five points. Sometimes Shihyun feels guilty for using him, but the man doesn’t seem care, so it’s now become a habit to drop by every time his number drops. 

Shihyun tries to stop thinking about the number, raising it can be done later. For now, he has so many things to do. The deadline for his final assignments is near, and he needs to start doing them as soon as possible.

 

It's exactly two pm when Yongguk barges to his room with both Tolbee and Rcy in tow, asking what pizza topping he wants. After getting the answer, the older simply walk away. Rcy doesn't follow him but instead rubs her face to Shihyun's leg. He abandons his fight with his assignment and picks her up to properly give her all his attention. A minute passed, Yongguk comes back and demands Rcy's presence in the living room. Shihyun laughs.

 

Four hours later, Shihyun readies himself as Taehyun bombarding the group chat with chat after chat. Yongguk glares at Shihyun’s vibrating phone. Shihyun laughs at his annoyed face. He's not sorry for not turning off the group's notification like Yongguk.

His phone is ringing when he is in his room to find his wallet and he faintly hears Yongguk’s grumbling to whoever on the other side of the phone call. Probably Taehyun who has enough of their slow asses.

They arrives at their fave family restaurant. The meals are delicious and cheap. The place is comfortable. (It's one of the few places near their apartment who don't force their customers to show their wrists.)

 

Yongguk is still eating, because he's always the last to decide what to eat so his order arrived when Shihyun already ate half of his. Taehyun says something funny and Yongguk smiles slightly. Shihyun excuses himself to go to the restroom when a pounding headache comes.

Shihyun splashes some water to his face and glances at his wrist. He is down to twenty-four. It's okay, he tell himself as he reaches out to take out the tinted lip balm inside his jeans pocket. After he's one hundred percents sure his almost blue lips are hidden behind layers of it, he looks once again at his reflection for the last time and walk to their table.

 

When he's back is Taehyun is laughing at something. Shihyun doesn't need to ask because Taehyun launches on a play by play how Yongguk dropped _tangsuyuk_ on his jeans when the number on his wrist rose rapidly. Shihyun nods, amused about how Yongguk is still not used with the rising of his number even it has already months since it happened.

Taehyun scans the crowd, trying to guess who is the cause of Yongguk’s increasing number. Yongguk rolls his eyes when Taehyun points to a giggling girl who looks at their direction. He picks a piece of meat, much more interested on the food in front of him. Shihyun smiles slightly as Taehyun continues to annoy Yongguk through the dinner.

 

Yongguk noisily greets Tolby and Rcy who are meowing at the sound of door opened. Shihyun can't help but laugh at the amusing sight of Yongguk scooping both of their cats to his arms. Shihyun shakes his head fondly when Yongguk goes straight to lie down in front of the TV with the cats, and **then** , the pain in his chest worsens. He says his goodnight and drags himself using his last strength to his room. He can feel the breaking cold sweat as his body meets the bed. The creaking bed masks his labored breathing. Shihyun pants and his wrist feels like on fire, but he doesn't need to look to know his problem.

 

Shihyun closes his heavy eyes as his hand blindly takes out his phone from his shirt’s pocket. The dial note feels longer each day.

He hears his mother's greeting and Shihyun know he'll be ready for the next day. As usual.

 

 

In a world where you give part of yourself when you love others, Shihyun gives all of his to Yongguk every day.

 

It's seven thirty one pm, Shihyun is a zero.

**Author's Note:**

> the first sentence of this drabble was "Shihyun wonders if he has any love left.", I planned to make the usual onesided love and never thought I ended up scraping it. Now I'm in a possession of this angsty au sigh.


End file.
